The Golem stars in a 16th-century legend about a rabbi who builds a clay giant to protect the Jews of Prague from pogroms. The giant, or Golem, bats off the ghetto’s enemies with ease, but also causes so much destruction that eventually he must be put down by his creator.

In a production at the Ellen Stewart Theater — the site of a former Yiddish theater — the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theater has revived its adaptation of this story, which it first staged in 1997. The legend is told through dance, lively klezmer music (by Frank London), traditional marionettes and slivers of narration.

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"Golem": Steven Ryan, flanked by members of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theater, in this show at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theater.Credit...Lee Wexler/Images for Innovation

The synergy these forces create is superbly imaginative; “Golem” uses 19th-century versions of special effects, but its visual illusions feel far more magical than anything you’ll see in a Broadway blockbuster.

Dancers double (triple, really) as puppeteers and as human backdrops, constantly fusing and fissuring bodies, puppets and set pieces into new shapes to tell the story. Particularly evocative are scenes in which the Golem (the endearingly oafish Steven Ryan) is brought to life and the cast and puppets engage in a traditional Eastern European dance.

The design elements appear simple but are cleverly versatile, from the alternately majestic and cagelike Prague skyline by Roman Hladik to wooden marionettes by Jakub Krejci. But foremost kudos go to Naomi Goldberg Haas, who choreographed the performance and created the show in collaboration with the writer and artistic director of the troupe, Vit Horejs, who also directs here.

One warning: While puppets feature prominently and the story is decidedly G rated, the show does not seem especially intended for children. Just as you would explain the story of “Peter and the Wolf” or “The Nutcracker” before taking any little ones to either classic, it might be helpful to preview the major plot points with them before this performance too.